Just to be clear, there is currently no approved vaccine for Covid-19. In the UK, only one drug, dexamethasone, has been approved as a treatment, although others are being trialled.

But that hasn’t stopped a host of other remedies being promoted online and in the traditional media:

UV light: Suggested as a potential cure by President Trump, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warns ultraviolet radiation can “cause skin irritation and damage your eyes”, and it should not be used to disinfect hands or other areas of skin. US researchers say that the strongest type of UV, called UVC, probably kills the new coronavirus, but it should not be used on the body.

Vitamin D: Multiple trials around the world are currently studying whether vitamin D can help with prevention or treatment of Covid-19. The government has confirmed that Public Health England is “carrying out a rapid review of recent evidence relating to vitamin D,” but a number of UK scientists and institutions insist there is no strong evidence it will be beneficial for countering Covid-19.

Injecting seawater: Mexican fact checker Animal Politico reported that this ‘cure’ was tried by hundreds of people in Ecuador in a bid to stop Covid-19. This was not authorised by the government, and strongly condemned by physicians. The Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador warned that seawater could have faecal contamination and other pathogens, and there is a high risk of causing serious infection by injecting it intravenously. 

Blowing hot air up your nose with a hairdryer: This bogus cure may have been popularised by a politician from Florida, who suggested at a meeting that the heat would kill the virus.